Igor Pokrajac

Igor Pokrajac
Born	(1979-01-02) 2 January 1979 (age 45) Zagreb, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia
Other names	The Duke
Residence	Zagreb, Croatia
Nationality	Croatian
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Division	Heavyweight Light Heavyweight
Reach	74 in (188 cm)
Fighting out of	Zagreb, Croatia
Team	American Top Team, Team CroCop
Rank	Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Bojan Mirkovic [1]
Years active	2003–2020 (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	45
Wins	29
By knockout	16
By submission	9
By decision	4
Losses	15
By knockout	8
By submission	2
By decision	5
No contests	1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Igor Pokrajac (born 2 January 1979) is a Croatian mixed martial artist, who formerly competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2003, Pokrajac has also formerly competed for K-1, KSW, It's Showtime, and Jungle Fight promotions.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Pokrajac started his professional MMA career in 2003, primarily competing in his native Croatia. Over the next six years, he compiled an impressive record of 21–5.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In August 2009, it was announced he had signed with the UFC, with his first fight taking place against Vladimir Matyushenko on September 19, 2009 at UFC 103. ^[2] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Pokrajac next faced James Te-Huna on February 21, 2010 at UFC 110. ^[3] Pokrajac lost again, this time via third-round TKO, due to strikes. This loss was somewhat controversial, as Te Huna had Pokrajac in a modified crucifix position on the mat and landed five to six clean shots to Pokrajac's face and although Pokrajac was not able to defend himself from this position, he was signalling to the referee that he was okay, although the ref did not acknowledge this, and stopped the fight after the unanswered shots from Te Huna. Although visibly dazed, Pokrajac disputed the stoppage directly after the fight to no avail.

Pokrajac then faced James Irvin on August 1, 2010 at UFC on Versus 2. ^[4] Midway through the first round, Pokrajac took Irvin down and immediately got side control on the floor. After taking multiple strikes, Irvin rolled over and was submitted by a rear naked choke, handing Pokrajac his first UFC victory.

Pokrajac fought Stephan Bonnar on December 4, 2010 at The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale. ^[5] Pokrajac lost a unanimous decision.

Pokrajac defeated Todd Brown on March 3, 2011 at UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann by TKO at the conclusion of the first round. Brown was dropped by a knee in the final minute and hit with several clean follow up shots, being saved by the end of the round. When the fighters went back to their corners, Brown was unable to stand on his own power and the fight was stopped. ^[6]

Pokrajac was expected to face Krzysztof Soszynski on June 11, 2011 at UFC 131, replacing an injured Anthony Perosh. ^[7] However, Pokrajac was himself forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by returning UFC veteran Mike Massenzio. ^[8]

Pokrajac/Soszynski ultimately took place on December 10, 2011 at UFC 140. ^[9] Pokrajac defeated Soszynski via first-round KO.

Pokrajac was expected to face Thiago Silva on May 15, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier, replacing an injured Brandon Vera. ^[10] However, Silva was pulled from the bout to face Alexander Gustafsson on April 14, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV 2 after Gustafsson's original opponent Antônio Rogério Nogueira pulled out of the bout citing an injury. ^[11] Pokrajac instead faced Fábio Maldonado at the event. ^[12] He won the fight via unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, and 29–28).

Pokrajac was defeated by Vinny Magalhães via second round armbar on September 22, 2012 at UFC 152. ^[13]

Pokrajac next faced Joey Beltran on December 15, 2012 at UFC on FX 6, replacing an injured Anthony Perosh. ^[14] Pokrajac lost the fight via unanimous decision. However, on January 10, 2013, it was announced that Beltran had failed his post fight drug test, testing positive for nandrolone and the result of the bout was changed to No Contest. ^[15]

Pokrajac faced Ryan Jimmo at UFC 161 in Winnipeg, Manitoba on June 15, 2013. ^[16] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Pokrajac faced Rafael Cavalcante on November 9, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 32. ^[17] He lost via submission due to strikes in the first round. ^[18]

Pokrajac faced Marcos Rogério de Lima on December 20, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 58. ^[19] He lost the fight via TKO in the first round, and was subsequently released from the promotion shortly after. ^[20]

Post UFC

After being released from Ultimate Fighting Championship Pokrajac signed for Croatia's Final Fight Championship promotion. His debut was expected to be against Maciej Browarski, but he was replaced and he will now make his debout in heavyweight division against Archontis Taxiarchis at FFC 18 - Ljubljana on 17 April, 2015. ^[21] He weighed 102 kg at official weight ins. ^[22]

Second UFC stint

After recording three first round stoppage victories on the regional circuit across the Balkans, Pokrajac was re-signed for a second stint in the UFC. He faced Jan Błachowicz on April 10, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 86. ^[23] Pokrajac lost the fight via unanimous decision. ^[24]

Pokrajac was expected to face Ed Herman on March 4, 2017 at UFC 209. ^[25] However, Pokrajac pulled out of the fight in early February citing an injury, and was replaced by Gadzhimurad Antigulov. ^[26]

On May 4, 2019, it was reported that Pokrajac was released by UFC. ^[27]

Accomplishments and championships

• Serbian Battle Championship
  • SBC Light Heavyweight Championship (one time)

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

45 matches	29 wins	15 losses
By knockout	16	8
By submission	9	2
By decision	4	5
No contests	1

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	29–15 (1)	Michał Kita	TKO (punches)	FEN 28 - Lotos Fight Night	June 13, 2020	1	0:37	Lublin, Poland	Return to Heavyweight.
Win	29–14 (1)	Maiquel Falcão	TKO (elbows and punches)	Serbian Battle Championship 25	December 7, 2019	1	3:24	Novi Sad, Serbia	Won the SBC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Loss	28–14 (1)	Maiquel Falcão	TKO (punches)	Serbian Battle Championship 21	May 4, 2019	1	4:55	Odžaci, Serbia
Loss	28–13 (1)	Jan Błachowicz	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos	April 10, 2016	3	5:00	Zagreb, Croatia
Win	28–12 (1)	Zauri Maisuradze	Submission (armbar)	FFC 20: Zagreb	October 23, 2015	1	1:16	Zagreb, Croatia
Win	27–12 (1)	Rudolf Pavlin	TKO (elbows)	Montenegro Fighting Championship 3	July 27, 2015	1	2:35	Budva, Montenegro	Return to Light Heavyweight.
Win	26–12 (1)	Archontis Taxiarchis	TKO (punches)	FFC 18: Ljubljana	April 17, 2015	1	3:03	Ljubljana, Slovenia	Heavyweight debut.
Loss	25–12 (1)	Marcos Rogério de Lima	TKO (punches)	UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway	December 20, 2014	1	1:59	Barueri, Brazil
Loss	25–11 (1)	Rafael Cavalcante	TKO (submission to knees and punches)	UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson	November 9, 2013	1	1:18	Goiânia, Brazil
Loss	25–10 (1)	Ryan Jimmo	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 161	June 15, 2013	3	5:00	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
NC	25–9 (1)	Joey Beltran	NC (overturned)	UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson	December 15, 2012	3	5:00	Gold Coast, Australia	Originally a unanimous decision win for Beltran; overturned after he tested positive for banned substances.
Loss	25–9	Vinny Magalhães	Submission (armbar)	UFC 152	September 22, 2012	2	1:14	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	25–8	Fábio Maldonado	Decision (unanimous)	UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier	May 15, 2012	3	5:00	Fairfax, Virginia, United States
Win	24–8	Krzysztof Soszynski	KO (punches)	UFC 140	December 10, 2011	1	0:35	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	23–8	Todd Brown	TKO (knee and punches)	UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann	March 3, 2011	1	5:00	Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Loss	22–8	Stephan Bonnar	Decision (unanimous)	The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck Finale	December 4, 2010	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	22–7	James Irvin	Submission (rear-naked choke)	UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko	August 1, 2010	1	2:28	San Diego, California, United States
Loss	21–7	James Te Huna	TKO (punches)	UFC 110	February 21, 2010	3	3:26	Sydney, Australia
Loss	21–6	Vladimir Matyushenko	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 103	September 19, 2009	3	5:00	Dallas, Texas, United States
Win	21–5	Kalvis Gebauers	TKO (punches)	WFC 8: D-Day	April 18, 2009	1	1:16	Ljubljana, Slovenia
Win	20–5	Roderik Jambor	TKO (punches and elbows)	K-1 ColliZion 2009 Croatia	March 21, 2009	1	1:09	Split, Croatia
Win	19–5	Mihajlo Fincur	TKO (punches)	Grand Fight	December 27, 2008	1	3:59	Varaždin, Croatia
Win	18–5	Patrik Jevický	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Ultimate Fight: Challenge 3	December 6, 2008	1	1:42	Samobor, Croatia
Win	17–5	Jan Antoska	Submission (armbar)	Hell Cage 1	May 3, 2008	2	3:39	Prague, Czech Republic
Win	16–5	Martin Zawada	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Balans: It's Showtime 75MAX Trophy Final 2008	March 15, 2008	1	1:01	's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Win	15–5	Marko Sintic	TKO (punches)	Ultimate Fight: Challenge 2	December 15, 2007	2	2:00	Samobor, Croatia
Win	14–5	Ladislav Zak	Decision (unanimous)	OB-Gula: Fight Night	December 8, 2007	3	5:00	Ogulin, Croatia
Loss	13–5	Mamed Khalidov	Submission (kneebar)	Boxing Explosion 2	August 2, 2007	2	0:55	Pag, Croatia
Win	13–4	Bojan Spalevic	TKO (elbows)	Osijek Challenge 07	May 27, 2007	1	0:43	Osijek, Croatia
Win	12–4	Slaven Planinic	TKO (knee and punches)	Bilic Fight Night	April 25, 2007	1	3:09	Zagreb, Croatia
Win	11–4	Sasa Lazic	Submission (armbar)	Noc Gladiatora 1	March 16, 2007	1	2:02	Karlovac, Croatia
Loss	10–4	Assuério Silva	Decision (split)	Jungle Fight Europe	December 17, 2006	3	5:00	Ljubljana, Slovenia
Win	10–3	Ivan Brguljan	Decision (unanimous)	International Fight Night	August 3, 2006	1	4:01	Opatija, Croatia
Win	9–3	Lukasz Jurkowski	Decision (split)	Sukosan Fight Night	September 9, 2006	2	1:41	Sukošan, Croatia
Win	8–3	Jure Lucic	Submission (armbar)	Ultimate Nokaut 4	March 17, 2006	1	3:19	Karlovac, Croatia
Win	7–3	Ivan Bacic	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Ultimate Nokaut 3	December 17, 2005	1	0:59	Rijeka, Croatia
Loss	6–3	Lukasz Jurkowski	TKO (corner stoppage)	KSW IV: Konfrontacja	September 10, 2005	2	5:00	Warsaw, Poland
Win	6–2	Branislav Zeman	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Ultimate Nokaut 2	July 29, 2005	2	2:49	Zadar, Croatia
Loss	5–2	Miodrag Petkovic	TKO (punches)	Ultimate Nokaut 1	March 11, 2005	2	4:51	Karlovac, Croatia
Win	5–1	Peter Cakic	TKO (punches and elbows)	Trboulje 2: Croatia vs Slovenia	February 12, 2005	1	2:25	Trbovlje, Slovenia
Loss	4–1	Miodrag Petkovic	KO (punches)	Ultimate Fight Dubravc	April 4, 2004	2	3:21	Zagreb, Croatia
Win	4–0	Andre Castro	KO (knee)	DF: Durata World Grand Prix 1	May 3, 2003	1	2:00	Zagreb, Croatia
Win	3–0	Matthias Riccio	TKO (doctor stoppage)	DF: Durata World Grand Prix 1	May 3, 2003	1	4:00	Zagreb, Croatia
Win	2–0	Pavel Botka	TKO (punches)	DF: Durata World Grand Prix 1	May 3, 2003	1	4:00	Zagreb, Croatia
Win	1–0	Nik Peric	TKO (knees)	Strabag Free Fight	February 9, 2003	1	1:33	Rijeka, Croatia

References

1. "Igor Pokrajac - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
2. "Vladimir Matyushenko returns to UFC on 13-fight "UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort" event". MMAJunkie.com. August 12, 2009.
3. "Pokrajac meets UFC newcomer Te Huna at UFC 110". Archived from the original on 2009-11-16. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
4. "JAMES IRVIN VS IGOR POKRAJAC AT UFC ON VERSUS 2". mmaweekly.com. Archived from the original on 2010-05-09. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
5. "TUF 12 Finale: Stephan Bonnar vs Igor Pokrajac booked for Dec. 4 in Las Vegas". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
6. "Igor Pokrajac meets Todd Brown at UFC on Versus 3 in March". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
7. "Anthony Perosh out, Igor Pokrajac in against Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 131". mmajunkie.com. 2011-05-11. Archived from the original on 2011-05-14.
8. "Pokrajac off Saturday's UFC 131; Massenzio in Against 'K-Sos'". sherdog.com. 2011-06-06.
9. "Igor Pokrajac vs. Krzysztof Soszynski slated for UFC 140 in Toronto". mmajunkie.com. 2011-09-22. Archived from the original on 2011-09-24.
10. "Source: Thiago Silva back in UFC in May". espn.go.com.com. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
11. "Silva replaces injured Nogueira, faces Gustafsson at UFC on FUEL TV 2". mmajunkie.com. March 6, 2012. Archived from the original on May 4, 2012.
12. "Fabio Maldonado vs. Igor Pokrajac slated for UFC on FUEL TV 3". mmajunkie.com. March 13, 2012. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012.
13. "Vinny Magalhaes Draws Igor Pokrajac for Return Bout at UFC 152". mmaweekly.com. July 18, 2012.
14. "Igor Pokrajac replaces injured Anthony Perosh, meets Joey Beltran at UFC on FX 6". MMAjunkie.com. November 13, 2012. Archived from the original on November 18, 2012.
15. "Rousimar Palhares and Joey Beltran fail UFC on FX 6 drug tests, each suspended nine months". mmamania.com. January 13, 2012.
16. "Clarke, Jimmo Added to UFC Winnipeg Card". TopMMANews.com. March 12, 2013.
17. Staff (2013-09-05). "Rafael 'Feijao' Cavalcante vs. Igor Pokrajac joins UFC Fight Night 32 lineup". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-09-05.
18. "UFC Fight Night 32: BELFORT X HENDERSON". cabmma.org.br. 2013-09-11. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-12.
19. Staff (2014-09-24). "Igor Pokrajac vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima joins UFC Fight Night 58 lineup". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
20. mmafighting.com (2015-01-27). "Igor Pokrajac among five fighters released from the UFC" . Retrieved 2015-01-28.
21. FFC 18 Ljubljana: Petje defends title, Igor "The Duke" Pokrajac to debut in the FFC!
22. FFC 18 vaga: Svi uspješno stali na vagu, Brestovac 118.5 kg, Pokrajac 102kg! (FOTO) Archived 2015-04-16 at the Wayback Machine (in Croatian)
23. Staff (2015-01-28). "Gonzaga-Magomedov, Blachowicz-Pokrajac, other bouts join UFC Fight Night 86 in Croatia". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-01-28.
24. Ben Fowlkes (2016-04-10). "UFC Fight Night 86 results: Jan Blachowicz outworks Igor Pokrajac for decision victory". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
25. Dave Doyle (2017-01-11). "Igor Pokrajac vs. Ed Herman set for UFC 209". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
26. Marcel Dorff (2017-02-07). "Igor Pokrajac out, Gadzimurad Antigulov against Ed Herman at UFC 209" (in Dutch). mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
27. Simon, Zane (2013-01-29). "List of current UFC fighters". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2019-05-30.

External links

• Professional MMA record for Igor Pokrajac from Sherdog
• Official UFC Profile